Tie Ning is an award-winning Chinese novelist and poet, who, in 2006, was elected president of the Chinese Writers Association, becoming the youngest writer and first woman to be honored in this way. Her work has been translated into ten languages and three of her novels have been made into movies and television series, including The Bathing Women, which is her first work to be translated into English.

Praised by Nobel Laureate Kenzaburo Oe as one of “the ten best literary works worldwide”about the 1990s, The Bathing Womenfollows the lives of four women—Tiao, a children’s book editor; Fan, her sister who thinks escaping to America might solve her problems; Fei, a hedonistic and self-destructive young woman; and Youyou, a chef—from childhood during the Cultural Revolution to adulthood in the new market economy. This moving novel charts the journey of these women as they grapple with love, sibling rivalry, and ultimately, redemption.

Spellbinding, unforgettable, and an important chronicle of modern China, The Bathing Women is a powerful and beautiful portrait of the strength of female friendship in the face of adversity.